Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
CAN FAITH BE DIVORCED FROM EVIDENCE? PART 2
Jesus was into evidence
This is the second article in a series on what the Lord has shown me about FAITH and EVIDENCE. It deals with the response of Jesus to situations where He presented evidence, others where He admonished people for having no faith after seeing evidence, and where He implied that Saints should seek evidence.
The first article,
dealt with the parsing of some Greek words in the Biblical definition of faith, and presented a brief discussion on evidence.
Brace yourself! This is more of a teaching blog than an entertaining one. It may not be an easy read because there is more here than a normal, well adjusted person would normally want to know but it will be worth it. It is the detail which makes me a boring person that brings the Bible alive for me. But if you happen to like what you read, there’s more to be found here.
[NOTE: Important words analysed below are identified with Hebrew/Greek transliterations into English and Strong’s Numbers so that whoever wants to can check them out — it is strongly recommended that you do. I use the Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/ )]
Before going any further
FAITH is the cornerstone of a Saint’s relationship with Christ and pleasing the Father. So my meagre effort could not possibly be a treatise on the subject. The best way I can explain it is being like the lighting system in a portrait photograph studio. There are a number of lights placed around the subject to minimise the formation of shadows that subtract from the full exposure. This presentation is a candle.
Why is it necessary to have evidence to have faith?
Because the Christ was/is into evidence.
Presenting the evidence
In the conversation with the disciples of John the Baptist recorded in Luke 7:18–24 || Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
He did not chastise them regarding their faith. He presented the evidence. It was up to them to believe.
In the savage encounter with the Jews recorded in John 10:31–38 || Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
A rough paraphrase, “You may not like me personally but look at the evidence.”
“Oh, ye of little faith”
This statement occur six times in the New Testament. (What does the number 6 represent?) These are all adjacent to records of evidence easily seen.
- Matthew 6:30 || You see how God clothes the grass of the field, and you worry that He will neglect you. This was common knowledge. Sons of Jacob accept Elohim the Creator God. They could see the evidence every day. [Also recorded in Luke 12:28]
- Matthew 8:26 || He calmed the storm. Which, by the way, must have been out of the ordinary to scare professional fisherman on that lake. (Supernatural??) They had recently seen the evidence of a healing of leprosy, the Centurion’s servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law. They could see there was something different about this guy.
- Matthew 14:31 || Jesus catches Peter who started to sink when walking on water. This was as he was looking at Jesus walking on the water, and after he witnessed the feeding of the 5000. They could see there was something different about this guy.
- Matthew 16:7–9 || Jesus admonished the Disciples for worrying about lunch. He had to remind them of the two instances of evidence they’d seen with the feeding of the multitudes. They could see there was something different about this guy.
- Matthew 17 || The Disciples couldn’t drive out a particular type of demon. The inner circle had recently seen the Transfiguration. They could see there was something different about this guy.
Seek evidence
- Luke 14:28 || Building a tower? Count the cost.
- Mark 8:34–36 || Take up your cross. Everyone living under Pax Romana knew what the cross meant.
- Luke 14:31|| Going to battle? Look at the evidence. The best evidence is the absolute certainty of the Presence of God — even if you don’t see it, God has promised to be there. Take that to the bank. And remember, 1 + God = Majority.
So what?
The number of warnings given in the Scriptures shows that God’s management style is not, “Management by Ambush.” It is written in 1 Corinthians 15:46 that God does first in the natural (that we mortals can understand) and afterwards the spiritual (that we mortals are now expected to understand). The first portion of Romans deals with the three types of people who are not Righteous in the Eyes of God: pagan, good, and religious. ALL of these have been shown enough evidence that they will not be able to defend themselves before God.
Richard Dawkins was asked what he would say to God if he met Him. The reply went along the lines, “If he was there, I would say, ‘You did not show me enough evidence.’” (It’s on YouTube, somewhere) He says he is an atheist but he is blind to the fact that the god he worships is an ACCIDENT. He is being played like a violin. Some time ago I saw a clip of a Rabbi speaking about wisdom. He said, “God gives man a speck of wisdom. Man says, ‘I am wise, there is no God.’” Seems like an apt description of this undeniably intelligent person who occupied the same Chair once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton.
But what about weak faith?
The Lord makes no secret that He sees Humanity as sheep needing a Shepherd. The whole Sacrificial System is predicated on weakness. But the evidence is that He cherishes those that are willing but weak. He is eager to help (Matthew 26:41). In Mark 9 Jesus dealt gently with the man whose son was possessed. It is written in 9:24 || Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” And it happened.
But what about the Agnostic?
Initially, agnostic meant state of having no knowledge (Latin derivative; ignorant. “I’m an ignoramus,”does not sound as pompous as, “I’m an agnostic.”), but coined by T.H. Huxley (Darwin’s Bulldog) to mean something unknowable. An order of magnitude more certain than the original meaning, it goes further than, “I don’t know,” to an emphatic, “You can’t possibly know, either.” (Reference https://www.etymonline.com/word/agnostic?utm_source=extension_searchhint )
The contemporary meaning is someone trying to sit on the fence about God, trying not to be involved, by saying, “You can’t be sure.” But there is no wriggle-room. It is written in Matthew 12:30|| He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. No one is allowed to sit on the sideline as a spectator in this savage war where we are both the Prize and the Pawn. The man in Mark 9:24 was sincere but weak. As was Apostle Peter when he denied Christ. We know that he was sincere when he pledged allegiance to the Lord, unto death, because he was prepared to take on the whole Temple guard. His exuberance had to be managed because the Prophecies were about The Messiah — not His companions. See
Conclusion
God is into evidence and His biggest exhibit is Creation. Which the World (G2889 — kosmos| the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ) viciously denies.
If you look around and believe that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” the rest is downhill.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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